This book reflects Robert Dorfman's important contributions to the analysis of economic theory and public decision making during the last forty years.The central concern of much of Professor Dorfman's career has been social decisions: how to reach them and how to judge them. This has meant that he has worked in a wide range of areas within economics including statistics, economic theory, natural resource and environmental economics, social decisions and the history of economic thought. In more recent papers he has challenged the traditional concepts relating to the maximisation of social welfare.

This outstanding collection of essays is a true reflection of the diversity of Robert Dorfman's interests and the depth of his economic knowledge. It will appeal to academics and students interested in economic theory, public sector economics and environmental economics and to historians of economic thought.